Hey movieman you know after that lkr you got a bit ago that gave me and im sure others motivation to look for that lkr in our neck of the woods.

Yep, that was a good one (though the bulk of the big items have STILL not sold !) and I would put it in my list of a dozen or so SPECTACULARS out of the over 350 I have bought to date.

Certainly,  as you know by now, the HOPE of finding that kind is what keeps many of us going....the finding itself is the hard and rare part of the equation.

It looks like there is a store in north Alabama that seems to get most the lost luggage for some reason

Check out this thread from here last April:


http://storageauctionforums.com/index.php?topic=1026.0

If they are the standard cord which goes into the back of a desktop computer I keep them for my own use (as I get desktops with no cords for some reason) or I sell them for $1.00.

If they are brown, white or green extension cords that are 6 to 10 feet long I sell them for $2 to $3.

It is not worth MY time to strip cords.

******

When copper theft was big in my area a few years ago I bought a lkr for $25 that was full of black vinyl strippings from some theif's efforts. The prop mgr said the police had been there and collected evidence...he was convicted...some are killed by stripping out street lights, etc.

Anyway, everyone thought I was nuts for getting it, but the two white buckets in the back (semi-buried) contained a couple of nice, heavy-duty YELLOW MULTI-METERS (forget the name, but many here will know it). There were some nice wire-cutters, etc too, so it paid off and the prop mgr let me put the stripped vinyl in their dumpster.

*******

As to vhs...HA !  I still see vendors of a particular ethnic background (it seems to me at least) laying out 100 or so of these face-up in orderly fashion on a 2.5 x 6  foot table and selling them for 50 CENTS each !  Incredible...how many do they sell in an 8 hour day?  Ok, sold 6....made $3.  In my mind that space could be better used for something else, but what do I know? Their other items aren't much better, but if it's all you've got...I guess it works.

I could mention two by name, but the auction gods on high might hurl a lightning bolt my way.

Needless to say their attributes center around being control freaks, to wit:

"line up against this wall !  Exit along this wall!" (no "please" and totally "control" attitude).

Explain all rules AGAIN everytime some new person walks up.

Make up auction "rules" as they go along (YOUR cleanout fee will be $1,000...because I don't like you).

"You HAVE to sign-in...IT'S THE LAW !" (had to laugh out loud and drew a "dagger" of a look from auctioneer)

etc, etc.

Those examples represent two of four major auctioneers in my area.

.....The other 25-28 units have been profitable.

Just an added note here to say that when I apply the statement quoted above to lkr buys I have made I would add that it is possible for a lkr to be "profitable" when you make $5 on it or when you make $1,500 on it. Of course the average of all profitable lockers would probably be in the "hundreds" not the "thousands" on the profitabilty scale.

ALSO:

I have read in different threads over the last week or so some math that might be a bit "understated" or not explained enough. I'll give you a theoretical (but representative) sample of some posts I've seen.

Buyer says he paid $160 for a locker but has "made" $260. The only way you "make" $260 profit is by selling everthing for $360. In that example I am not even accounting for gas and time involved.

It would be more accurate to say:  "I bought a lkr for $160 and SOLD $260 worth of stuff, so I am $100 AHEAD"  OR

"I bought a lkr for $160 and SOLD $260 worth of stuff, so I am $100 AHEAD...minus my gas and other costs and accounting for my time/labor....I probably MADE $75."

I think most of you get my drift here.

That's the kind we live for !  

Congratulations on getting it.  

Saturday, Oct 8, 2011

5 a.m. and getting ready for today's flea market and the reason we buy all those lkrs....aside from the fun of going through the stuff and trips to the dump !

Went to several auctions Thursday the 6th and crowd and prices were pretty good with just a couple of outrageous prices popping up. As I recall though, I only placed one bid and let the unit go to someone else.

Friday the 7th I went to three auctions by the same auctioneer and throughout the day the crowd ranged from about 25 to 40. This is an improvement on a few months ago but I still long for the pre-show crowds of 12 months ago. Coming up on one year in Dec since the tv shows started.

I placed a few high bids, starting one at $500 but quickly backing out as it then sold for $675. Just wasn't comfortable going on as the other bidder would have continued and it was marginal the way it was.

So, no luck on Friday, but....there are always more auctions !   

But Woolworth says it's for sale at $5.76  


May I present Mr. T



In it's condition I hope to fetch $25, but to me it's a major score for a small piece!

You can aim higher than that....look at this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-Galoob-Action-Figure-Mr-T-B-A-Baracus-Team-MOC-/150670207833?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2314a4eb59